English Breakfast Recipe

Parboil potatoes

Place the halved new potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Cook for 10–12 minutes until just tender when pierced with a knife. Drain well and set aside.

While potatoes cook, halve the tomato and clean and slice or halve the mushrooms. Remove bread from packaging so it is ready for toasting.

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add 1 tsp vegetable oil. Add the Cumberland sausages and cook for about 12–14 minutes, turning regularly so they brown evenly and cook through. If sausages are thick, cover the pan for a few minutes toward the end to ensure they cook through. Once cooked, transfer sausages to a warm plate and keep covered.

In the same pan (remove excess fat if there is too much, leaving about 1 tbs), add the bacon rashers and fry over medium heat for 2–4 minutes per side until crispy to your liking. Transfer to the warm plate with the sausages and keep warm.

In a second large frying pan or the same pan wiped clean, melt 1 tbs butter with 1 tbs olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the drained parboiled potatoes cut-side down and fry for 6–8 minutes without moving too often so they form a golden crust. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. When golden and cooked through, transfer to the warm plate with the meat.

In the same pan used for potatoes, add the remaining 1 tbs butter and add the mushrooms. Sauté for 4–5 minutes until browned and any moisture has evaporated. Season with a little salt and pepper. Push the mushrooms to the side, place the halved tomato cut-side down in the pan and cook 2–3 minutes until just charred and warmed through.

Gently heat the baked beans in a small saucepan over low heat until simmering, stirring occasionally. Keep warm on very low heat.

Fry eggs

Wipe a small non-stick frying pan and add a little butter or oil (about 1 tsp). Heat over medium-low. Crack the two eggs into the pan and fry to your preference: 3–4 minutes for runny yolks (sunny-side up) or 4–6 minutes for slightly set yolks. Season with a little salt and pepper. If you prefer over-easy, flip carefully after 2–3 minutes and cook another 30–60 seconds.

Toast the slices of bread until golden. Butter the toast lightly if desired.

Arrange everything on warm plates: sausages, bacon, eggs, mushrooms, grilled tomato, potatoes, a portion of baked beans and toasted bread. Sprinkle chopped parsley over the mushrooms and potatoes if using, and grind a little extra black pepper over the eggs. Serve immediately.